Carpenter&#39;s square.



110.954,125. PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.-

H. w. THOMPSON.

CARPENTBRS SQUARE.

PPLIOATION FILED HAB. 29, 1906.

' square, showing the application of the inven- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

CARPENTERS SQUARE.

Speceatonof Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed March 29, 1906. Serial No. 308.737.

T0 a/ZZ wil/0711, t 77u01/ concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY W. THOMP- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantic City, in the county of Atlantic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oarpenters Squares, and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suchL as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a gage attachment 'and indicating scales for carpenters squares.

The object of the invention is to provide a square having arranged thereon scales and tables by means of which the length or cut of various rafters and beams may be quickly ascertained, when certain dimensions are known, without the necessity of calculation.

Another object is to provide a gage for use in connection with a square by means of which the use of the square is facilitated and which is` adapted to be used as an indicating device in connection with certain of the scales on the blades of the square.

WIith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described. an d claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of. one side of a portion of a tion', Fig. y2 is a similar view of the opposite side of the square, showing the table of measurement for brace and hip rafters, Eig. 3 is a cross sectional view through one of the blades of the square and the attachment applied thereto, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the attachment removed from the square.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the square, which may be of any form vor construction, but which is here shown as a folding square constructed in accordance with or similar to the square shown in a prqvious application filed by me March 5, 1906, Serial Number 304,366. Adjustably mounted upon the main blade or stock 2 and the short blade 3 are indicating slides or gages 4 and. 5, said gages being similar in construction, and consisting of a sheet metal sleeve or ferrule constructed and formed to closely fit and slide upon the blades of the square. The outer end of the gages 4 and 5 at their opposite corners is cut away or beveled., as shown at 6, so as to form a sharp edge or corner adjacent to the outer scale markings on the edge of the square.

On the opposite end. of the gages is a centrally disposed boss 7 formed by increasing the thickness of the end at this point, said boss being provided with a threaded aperture S, through which is adapted to be screwed a set screw 9, the inner end of which is adapted to engage the inner edge of the square blades', thereby holding the gages 4 and 5 in their adjusted positions upon said blades. Formed on one side of the gages 4 and 5 at one end and adjacent to the opposite sides thereof are laterally projecting right angularly formed stop lugs 10, the inner edges of which are beveled or inclined, as shown at 12.

The gages 4 and 5 are adapted to be used in connection with the square for various purposes and provide means by which the use of the square is greatly facilitated. An example of the use of the gages is indicated by the dotted line shown in Fig. 1 in which the gages lare arranged for use in connection with the square for cutting the supporting timbers for a 'flight of stairs, the gage 4 being adjusted on the main blade to give proper length of cut for the tread of the stairs while the 5 is adjusted upon the short blade of the square to give the length of the cut for the risers. I/Vhen the gages are thus arranged, the stop lugs projecting from the lower side thereof will be iniproper position to engage the edge of the timber being cut, so that the corner of the square may be laid upon the timber and quickly adjusted to the proper position for marking the cuts, said markings being thus accurately made for each successive step and the time and labor necessary for the correct adjustment of the square for each. step will be obviated.

The gages 4 and 5 may be further used as indicating devices in connection with the various scales ldesired upon the blades of the square, said blades being here shown as provided on their opposite faces adjacent to their inner and outer edges with inch scales and subdivisions thereof, and on one side between said outer subdivided inch scales are arranged other scales indicating graduations and subdivisions in fractions of a foot different from those shown in the outer scale. By arranging the scales upon the square as shown and described, the gages Il and 5 may IOO IIO

be brought into operation, so that the number of inches in any fraction of a foot may be instantly determined without any calculation on the part of the operator. For instance, should it be desired to know how many inches there were in eighty one-hundredths of a foot, it would simply be necessary for the operator to slide the gage 4 along the blade l to the eightieth division mark of the scale indicating the division of a foot into one-hundredths and glancing along the edge of the gage to the outer inch scale it would be instantly apparent that there are nine and three-fifths inches in eighty one-hundredths of a foot. In like manner many other equivalents of one scale to another on the blade may be quickly ascertained. On one side of the long or main blade of the square is inscribed a scale of dimensions by which may be ascertained the lengths of various timbers forming hip brace and other inclined rafters, said scales being arranged in a series of parallel columns across the width of the blade, the figures in said columns being used in conjunction with the scale of inches on the outer edge of the blade to determine at a glance and without calculation, the length of a hip or brace rafter when the rise or height and run is known.

The first column of figures (L running across the blade and containing *numerals from 1 to 12 represent the rise or height of the rafters while the scale of inches b on the edge of the blade represents the horizontal distance or run required for pitch of the rafter or brace. The columns of figures c adjacent to each of the cross lines or marks on the blade at the end of each inch on the scale b represent scales of measurements for the main and brace rafters, while in the spaces between the columns of figures c will be arranged columns of gures representing the lengths of the hiprafters to match the main rafters; for example, to illustrate the use of these scales to find the length of a main and a hip rafter for a rise of nine feet and a run of three feet, it is simply necessary to glance down the column of iigure a, at the end of the blade until We reach the number 9, then by glancing along the horizontal line to the right until we come to the column of iigures c under the end of the third inch of the scale b, we will find 9.50 which represents the length of the main rafter in feet and hundredths of a foot, while immediately to the left of this dimension will be observed 9.98 which represents the length of the hip rafter. By referring to the reverse side of the long blade of the square, the equivalents of the decimal fractions of a foot of the above or any dimension, in inches may be quickly ascertained in the manner hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as defined. by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

An indicator and gage for squares comprising a sleeve ad apted to be slidably mounted on the blade of a square, said sleeve being beveled or cut away on one end at its oppo- -site corners, a centrally disposed boss formed on its opposite end, said boss having formed therein a threaded aperture, a set screw ,arranged in said aperture to engage the edge 4of said blade thereby holding said gage in its adjusted positions on said blade, lugs formed on and projecting laterally from the opposite corners vof one end of the sleeve to form gage stops, substantially as described.

in testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARVEY W. THOMPSON. Vitnesses:

HARRIET HECKLER, MARGARET JEFFRrEs. 

